Author: Greg Grondin

Summer used to be home to a large majority of big budget blockbusters — rife with action and special effects. That has become less and less true of late. We’re seeing more tent pole films showing up in the spring and on occasion during the fall and around the Christmas holidays. Still, with the summer behind us along with complaints that this year failed to meet expectations what do we have to look forward to?…

Looking through spoilers for a new Magic set is always a lot of fun. We’re in the midst of “spoiler week” for Amonkhet and I keep checking regularly for previews of some of the new cards. It’s always fun to think up new possible brews with new cards but I always find it fun to find new gems for Commander and some new commander cards and in particular Legendary Creatures that can serve as commanders….

Magic: The Gathering is a complex and fun game. It’s a great way to meet new people and make friends. It involves considerable thought and planning and it can also involve a lot of chaos and comraderie. But what happens if you want to move beyond kitchen table Magic but don’t have the time and money to invest in competitive deckbuilding? Thankfully, there are many ways to play Magic — some more competitive than others,…

Last year I came to the realization that I used to love to draw. I remember drawing Nintendo characters as a child. I remember growing up enamored with Disney cartoons, comics like Jeff Smith’s Bone and foreign animated films from Studio Gibli. That said, I hadn’t drawn in years. My skill level had deteriorated considerably. Still, I used to love to draw. I used to enjoy the creativity. I discovered some friends who had been…

It’s never been a better time to be a fan. Geek culture has become mainstream and fan communities have, as a result, been able to grow and connect like never before. As a result it’s very common these days to see people of all ages embrace their favorite fandom and share the things they love. It may be comics or games or a specific intellectual property. From Pokemon to Harry Potter, being a geek has…

Everyone needs a hobby. For some of us creating vibrant illustrations is the hobby of choice. It’s a great creative outlet and a way to put your vivid ideas on paper. It’s a relaxing pastime that can help relieve stress and could lead to creative opportunities down the road. That said, it can be a very personal and sometimes intimidating form of expression. You may feel your work isn’t good enough or that you are…

I love Magic the Gathering’s Commander format. As such, I always find it fun to look at upcoming Legendary creature cards to see what potential they might have as Commander cards. Is it worth trying to build a deck around some of these cards? Are they worth hunting down? Lets look at each new Legendary creature as I give some of my initial knee-jerk thoughts on the card. You may see something in these cards that…

Get ready for Oath of the Gatewatch! Set 2 of 2 in the Battle for Zendikar block! Number of Cards 184 Prerelease Events January 16–17, 2016 Prerelease Format Sealed (4 Oath of the Gatewatch/2 Battle for Zendikar) Release Date January 22, 2016 Launch Weekend January 22–24, 2016 Game Day February 13–14, 2016 January marks the release date of the next Magic: The Gathering set – Oath of the Gatewatch. This is the second set…

November marks the launch of Commander 2015 — the latest in Wizards of the Coasts’ now annual Commander deck offerings. I love playing Commander, and I’m always excited to see the new Commander sets. Each iteration of decks becomes more refined and engaging and this year’s sets are no different. If you’re not sure what Commander is, I suggest reading the rules on the Wizards of the Coast website (here). In short, it’s a fun…

The Battle for Zendikar Event Deck – called Ultimate Sacrifice – dropped with the release of the new set with the intention of giving players interested in standard a possible starting point to work from. In the past, the event decks have typically been decent. Not always top tier and not always full of value, but certainly under the category of at least “good”. Does the Battle for Zendikar event deck follow suit? Is it…